Ascendancy
by CitySleep
Summary: noun: as·cen·dan·cy \ə-ˈsen-dən(t)-sē\ : a position of power in which someone can control or influence other people.


When Sarah had turned 20 she'd felt as acute a loss as if she'd had a limb ripped away from her. She'd spent her teenage years gleefully defiant, exploring abandoned nooks and crannies and pushing the limits of Irene's sanity.

Perhaps, somewhere inside her, she hoped that she would stumble back into a world lost long ago.

At twenty four, Sarah was a functioning adult, by all standards. She was educated, held a steady job and had a small circle of people she considered friends. She drove the two hours it took to visit her family once a month and made an effort to call every week. Sometimes, she had a man in her life, but it never worked out for long. Maybe it was something in the way she spoke of her childhood, too wistful for their tastes. Or maybe it was that there always seemed to be something lurking beneath the surface of their relationship, something entirely inaccessible to them. Despite it never lasting, it always ended amicably. Sarah was a good girl, a good person who was perfectly normal and well adjusted. She just desperately wished it wasn't so.

* * *

Her family had decided to go skiing for her 25th birthday, but Sarah had fallen grievously ill. She'd insisted that they bring Toby anyways, since he'd been looking forward to the trip for weeks. She would just stay behind and mind the house for them while they were gone. Anyways, she'd already booked the time off work, and everything had been paid for in advance.

"Our numbers are all on the fridge, not that you don't have them already," Irene fretted, anxiously pacing by the doorway. "There's some chicken soup in the pantry, just the powdered stuff mind you, but it'll do you a world of good."

Sarah childishly groaned in response from her bed. She was wrapped up in a blanket, feeling like death itself had warmed over.

Irene clucked her tongue. "I really don't know if it's right to be leaving her here all alone, she looks absolutely awful!"

"She'll be fine." Robert sighed. Then, addressing Sarah, "You call the doctor if anything gets worse. We'll give you a ring tonight and see how you're holding up."

Robert shut the door, and soon Sarah was alone in the house. It didn't take very long for her to fall into a restless sleep. 

She was outside, watching the snow fall. Something felt wrong, out of the ordinary. She looked down at her hands and found them wrinkly and brittle. Slowly, heart heavy with hesitation, she brought her hands to her face and found it thin and delicate like crumpled parchment paper. Fear bloomed through her heart.

 _I have grown old and my life is nothing._ Sarah thought, tracing the rivers of age that were sunk into her face. _I am nothing._

With a start she awoke, drenched in feverish sweat. A blank ceiling stared down at her.

 _Maybe that is my fate. To grow old in a life that feels forfeited already._

What had happened to her? She used to be such a fighter. She'd defeated the goblin king at his own game!

 _I grew up. I realized that the frivolities of life are reserved for youth._

She swung a leg over her bed and shakily stood up. Her lungs felt so heavy.

Had it all been just a dream? She'd always been such an imaginative young girl. There had never been a hint of magic later on in her life. It seemed like she'd willed an adventure into existence by sheer force.

What would of happened if she'd accepted the goblin king's offer, she wondered? Would he ever have taken her as an equal? It was hard to envision. He was such a childish, fickle creature... not unlike herself. Maybe they would have been forever at war with each other, trapped in some fantastical game of cat and mouse. _Or,_ she thought with a twinge of sadness, _maybe he would have grown bored of me and reduced me to ash._

Sarah hazily made her way down to the kitchen. The phone beeped on the counter. She must have missed a call from her family. How long had she slept? Starlight spilled in through the window and fresh snow glittered in the yard. The clock on the stove top read half past three.

She gulped down a spoonful of a horrid, cherry flavoured cough syrup and accidentally spilt a large portion of the bottle unto her shirt. Cursing to herself, she decided to clean it up later and headed back to her room. The red light on the phone flashed angrily at her as she walked past. A small wave of guilt washed over her. _I'll call them back later,_ she reasoned. _I'm going to faint if I stay up much longer._

Slipping back into her bed, she closed her eyes, hoping to escape some of the nausea that was gripping her. Why the hell hadn't she asked her father to drop her off at a clinic before they left? She hated being a nuisance, and it made her feel annoyingly childish to have to ask for help with something as simple as a flu, but she was regretting it now. Shutting her eyes harder, she tried to ignore the strange and horrible sensation of claustrophobia closing in on her. It was as if she could physically feel the walls closing in on her, squeezing everything tighter. Breathing was already so difficult, and now it felt like something heavy was weighing on her chest, sharp little claws digging into her collar bone, drawing blood-

She opened her eyes with a start. Two humongous black eyes stared back at her. A barn owl was perched on her chest, watching her intently.

A minute of tense silence passed.

"Jareth?" The question was spoken in a soft exhalation.

The owl stood deathly still, and she suddenly felt very silly. Obviously she'd left the window open and a bird had flown in, nothing more. Carefully, she sat up and the bird hopped out of her way. Examining it warily, she noticed it looked rather tired, not at all like Jareth's majestic owl that had swooped above her many years ago.

"Come," She said, ignoring her own pain. "You seem to be lost."

She scooped the owl up easily, and it leaned into her arm dejectedly. As she got up and crossed the room, she noticed that the window was locked shut. A flicker of uneasiness licked her, but Sarah forced herself to ignore it. It could have easily gotten in through the chimney. Such things had most probably happened before. Not here, and not while she lived here, but to other homes, surely. Barn owls were common to the region, after all.

Still cradling the subdued owl, she opened the latch of her window with one hand and pushed it open.

"Here you go, little friend." Sarah gently let the owl perch itself on the window pane. "Go on then."

The owl very deliberately turned to look at her. It looked immeasurably sad and tired to Sarah, and she felt an odd stab of pity. Slowly, she reached her hand towards the bird and stroked it's soft feathers. "It's alright," She whispered.

The owl spread it's wings and flew off into the night. As it did, Sarah heard a soft thumping sound by her feet. She bent down to examine the source of the noise.

It was a peach.

* * *

Her footsteps echoed eerily throughout the castle. The air seemed thick, the walls too quiet.

"Hello?" Sarah asked, her voice louder than she'd intended. "Is anyone here?"

Silence answered her. There was no dust in the castle, no cobwebs or spiders. It was as if everyone had simply vanished, leaving no trace behind, and yet the fortress was untouched by time- yet however much time had passed, she could not be sure. Fear gripped Sarah's heart as she approached a window and looked outside towards the labyrinth.

Everything stood perfectly still.

She searched for a breeze, a rustle of wind, the soft sound of a small footstep, anything. But there was nothing.

Purposefully, Sarah broke into a small jog in search of the throne room, trying to rely on the flimsy memories she held of the castle. After turning many corners and climbing many steps, she found herself in a place that was neither recognizable or foreign. The room was bare, save for a large pit in the middle. Cautiously, she stepped towards the edge of it and peered down. It held nothing but seemingly endless darkness.

"How odd." She murmured. Sarah turned around and promptly shrieked.

A small, ugly goblin shrieked back.

"What the hell!" She shouted at the creature. "You scared the daylights out of me!"

The goblin shrieked again and cowered away from her.

Sarah took a few deep breaths to calm her rapidly beating heart. "Sorry, sorry, I'm alright! You scared me that's all. Actually, I'm quite relieved to see you."

Something was nagging at the back of her brain, something faraway that she couldn't quite place. She looked at the goblin distrustfully.

"Where did you come from? I didn't hear you come in."

The goblin looked at her as if she was particularly slow.

"I was already here."

Sarah coughed incredulously.

"Right. Where are the others?"

"The others?" It replied, cocking it's head sideways at an unnatural angle.

"Yes. The others. The goblins?"

"Ah." It pursed it's lips thoughtfully. "Away."

"Away?"

"Yes." It nodded it's head emphatically, lolling it side to side. "Away."

"Oh." Sarah was so incredibly puzzled. She looked around the room once again "And what about... What about Jareth?"

"Jareth." The goblin echoed, suddenly somber. "Jareth is gone."

"Gone?" Her voice sounded hollow.

"Yes. Gone."

"Oh."

The goblin nodded. "Oh indeed."

They stood silently for what felt like an eternity. An enormous weight had settled in Sarah's stomach. A wave of grief washed over her, and her throat felt like it had suddenly swollen shut. She sat on the floor, exhausted. The goblin dabbed at her cheeks with a kerchief, and it's then she realized she was crying.

"Are Hobble and Sir Didymus gone as well?" She finally managed to choke out, a little sob escaping her. "And what about Ludo?"

"No." The goblin patted her arm reassuringly. "They are simply away."

A little bubble of hope rose up inside of her.

"When will they be back?"

"I suppose they'll return when you've found them." The goblin tilted it's head thoughtfully and smiled grotesquely. "Yes, I do suppose."

* * *

Sarah awoke in a large bed with three pairs of enormous beady eyes staring at her attentively.

"Good morning!" The same goblin she'd seen last night croaked. "What do you wish of us today?"

"Um." She said dumbly, blinking at the eager creatures crowding her bed. She felt incredibly awkward and drew the blankets up around her protectively.

"What do you wish of us today?" The goblin repeated.

"Do you have any clean clothes?" Sarah asked, realizing she was in a pair of filthy pyjamas. Seeing as she probably stunk as well, she added, "And would it be possible to have a bath?"

"A BATH!" The goblin shrieked, shooing the other two away. "AND CLOTHES!"

But more goblins seemed to be appearing out of nowhere, melting out of corners and doors that she hadn't noticed before. The room came alive with noise and smells, as if a plug had been pulled and life was spilling forward. Goblins carried trays of food, drink, clothing, pitchers of water, all whilst chanting "Bath! Clothes! Bath and clothes!"

She was ushered towards a room containing a large bath minutes later, and found herself alone once again. The faint cacophony of hoots, chants and other noises down the hall were comforting, and Sarah let herself relax. She scrubbed her skin vigorously, removing the odd stench of sweat and artificial cherry. Why was that scent so familiar? She once again had the nagging feeling that she was forgetting something important.

 _I'll find Hoggle and Sir Didymus._ Sarah mused. _They'll surely help me remember whatever it is I've forgotten. And it will be so nice to see my old friends once again._

She stepped out of the bath and found a clean pair of tights and long, billowing white shirt neatly folded on a small table. A pair of knee height leather boots were stored underneath. Apprehensively, Sarah realized that her own clothing was gone, and that she had no choice but to dress herself in the familiar attire.

With a mounting sense of panic, Sarah quickly left the room, avoiding her reflection. She walked faster and faster through the corridors, until she was sprinting out of the castle into the now bustling goblin village. Life seemed to have taken hold again, chickens and goblins alike running to and fro between the streets. Chest heaving, she ignored the greetings of the goblins she passed and continued to sprint further and further away from the cobblestone streets towards the sprawling maze of the labyrinth. Tears spilled down her cheeks and her head spun, her heart beating too strongly in her chest.

 _Please, please let me find my friends._ Sarah implored. _Please._

No sooner had the thought sprang into her mind that she rounded a corner and smacked headfirst into Ludo.

"Ludo!" Sarah cried. "Oh Ludo, thank god!"

Sobbing in earnest, she took her old friend into her arms. A pair of warm arms encircled her and hugged her tightly.

"Is that my lady crying? Why, I swear I'll cut the head off any man who's harmed you-"

"Oh goodness, you don't have to be so dramatic!"

Sir Didymus and Hoggle came round behind Ludo and Sarah couldn't help but give a shaky laugh. The knight brandished his sword, huffing mightily.

"This is no laughing matter! I shall restore thy honour, I give thee my word!"

"Oh Sir Didymus! Hoggle!" Sarah hiccuped. "I have missed you both so much. I was just looking for you, oddly enough."

"Of course!" Didymus exclaimed. "That's why you have found us!"

"I'm sorry?" Sarah's brow furrowed.

"Oh no need for that, my dear! All is well."

"No, that's not what I meant-"

"Sarah." Hoggle interjected, his normally comical voice quite somber. "Sarah, we need to talk to you."

"Yes!" Sarah said breathlessly. "I have so many questions! The goblin king is gone, he's gone Hoggle, and when I got here everyone else was gone too, and it's just all been so strange, and I have this horrible feeling like I've forgotten something very important, and now that I think about it, oh gosh-" Her eyes widened- "Hoggle that's it, I don't remember how I got here!"

There was a beat of silence, and then Ludo made a sound of pure sadness, a wail of pain. Sir Didymus took her hand in his. A sense of horror filled Sarah and a panicked sob rose in her throat. She suddenly remembered the artificial smell of cherry and the acrid sweat, the pounding headache, the burning in her lungs.

"Hoggle," She choked out. " _How did I get here?_ "

"Oh little lady..." Hoggle said, his compassionate blue eyes meeting hers. "Don't you remember?"

And then softly, gently,

"You died."

* * *

"Please, please, be quiet!" Jared implored the screaming baby. He paced up and down the room, cursing his stepfather for the umpteenth time that night.

"You know, I read a very good book about about a goblin kingdom," He told the baby spitefully. "It's been ruled by a Goblin Queen for hundreds and hundreds of years, and when she gets bored she steals horrible babies like yourself and turns them into goblins." He held the baby at eye level. "All I'd have to do is say the words."

Jared put the screaming baby down in his crib, sighing.

"Not that it would do anything..."

He turned to leave the room, pausing only as he flicked the light switch off.

"But I do wish the goblins would come take you away-"

The baby screamed louder and Jared flinched.

"-RIGHT NOW!"

* * *

"Excuse me!"

Hoggle looked up.

"Oh. It's you."

He continued spraying the fairies littering the pathway.

The young blonde teenager stepped in front of Hoggle.

"Excuse me," The gangly boy repeated. "Please, can you help me get through this labyrinth? I need to find my little brother, Toby."

Hoggle eyed him evenly.

"And who are you?"

"I'm Jared."

"Ah. That's what I thought." Hoggle dusted his hands off and straightened his back. "Well, come along Jareth."

"It's Jared, actually."

"Right, of course. Come along, Jared, we don't have time to lose."

And with that, the two entered the labyrinth.

The End.


End file.
